From a food-lover's POV, a festival to really make some time for is the Taste Of Randolph Street festival (900 W. Randolph St.)...and, yes, there will be some bad-ass bands rockin' the streets in the West Loop!

Last, but certainly not least is Takin' It To The Streets: Urban International Festival (6734 S. Kedzie). Admission is FREE and the number of musical acts participating in this festival is truly staggering and ranges from Mos Def to dozens of top-flight DJ's and hip-hop acts.